TMU Library Catalogue
TMU Library Catalogue searches for books, e-books, dvds, and other resources. It is a good place to look for known books, or when using the keyword search to find some relevant titles for an assignment. When you find a good title, open the catalogue record in order to identify the assigned Library of Congress subject headings that can be used to identify similar works.
TMU Library Search Everything
TMU Library Search Everything This search engine searches for books and audio-visual materials that are also listed in the library's catalogue, as well as journal articles (chiefly those that are available electronically), theses and dissertations, newspaper coverage from some recent and a selection of archival newspapers, and digitized content such as out-of-copyright books and journals that are available from sources such as The Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.
Refine your search by content type or other criteria including listing in the library catalogue.
Quick Facts
Encyclopedias and dictionaries
remain useful sources of quick information. In addition to free sources such as Wikipedia, consider some of our licensed electronic content from publishers such as Oxford University Press, as well as printed items.
Try keyword searches in the main catalogue using subject or topical terms and either dictionaries, or, encyclopedias
Example keyword searches:
- canada biography dictionaries
- cold war encyclopedias
- egypt encyclopedias
- europe history chronology
- political chronologies
- scientists biography dictionaries
- united states history revolution dictionaries
Biographical information
Consider these resources:
- American National Biography (1999, 24 vols.), and, Supplement (2002-) (for people who are deceased)
- Canadian Who's Who (for living persons)
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography (print for those who died 1930 and earlier; online includes new entries for those who died after 1931 and some and revised entries)
- Dictionary of World Biography. 3rd ed. (2016)
- Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed w. suppl. v 18-23.(1998-2004) Additional supplementary vols. available from the library catalogue.
- International Who's Who (for living persons)
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004, 61 vols.) Supplements for recently deceased (2001-2004) & (2005-2008)
- Who's Who (Great Britain, for living persons)
- Who's Who in America (for living persons)
- Native Peoples A to Z: A Reference Guide to Native Peoples of the Western Hemisphere. 2nd ed. (2009, 8 vols.)
- Current Biography (1941-2015)
- Abridged Biography and Genealogy Master Index (1988)
Historical Maps and Atlases
Try Library of Congress subject headings such as:
- Canada -- Historical geography -- Maps
- China -- Maps
- Europe -- Historical geography -- Maps
- United States -- Historical geography -- Maps
- World history -- Maps
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Maps
The W.H. Pugsley Collection of Early Canadian Maps from McGill University Library
The David Rumsey Map Collection makes accessible historic maps of North and South America
The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library is digitizing many of the 200,000 maps in the collection. Search digital content under the Collections tab.
- Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Oxford Reference, previously known as Oxford Reference Online Premium, comprises more than 120 dictionaries and reference titles covering a comprehensive subject spectrum including: General Reference, Language, Science and Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Professional content.
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has ongoing subscriptions to many biographical resources as well other dictionaries and encyclopedias that are not available at TMU. Many of the resources are located at the Toronto Reference Library situated just north of Bloor Street on Yonge Street.